Defining Moments
by Punk Trash Noiz
Summary: Life is made up of defining moments. For a Hogwarts student, perhaps the most important moment is their Sorting. Their house helps shape who they are, and who they will become. Lily's Sorting takes an unexpected turn when she is sorted into Slytherin. How much of Lily L. Potter will be molded by her house?
1. Prologue

**A/N: I'm back, and trying out writing fanfiction for a fandom I have never written for before. I am fascinated by the next generation children, since they are essentially blank slates, and fanfiction writers can decide what they will be like. Read the AN at the bottom, because there have been changes made to this fanfiction.**

**Prologue**

Lily Potter couldn't sleep the night before September 1st. She tossed and turned in her bed as she imagined what the next day would bring. She finally managed to fall asleep at around 2 am, but the sleep only lasted for about four hours. When she woke up, she saw it was barely starting to get light outside. She narrowed her eyes at the clock that was showing it was only 6 am. She briefly considered trying to go back to sleep, but she quickly dismissed that thought. She knew she wouldn't be able to fall asleep again. After all, today was the day she was finally going to Hogwarts! After years of having to watch all her siblings and cousins board the Hogwarts Express, she would finally get to go with them.

The red-haired girl hurriedly threw on a muggle outfit to wear to the station. She could just change into her robes after she boarded the train. She pulled on a t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers. Lily had been glad when her mom had let her start choosing her own outfits. No more pink shirts or frilly skirts for her! After dressing, she brushed the tangles out of her hair. She sometimes missed having it short, because it had been simpler to care for. The longer it got, the wavier it got. Still, at least she didn't have Rose's wild mass of curls. It took her cousin ages to brush her hair.

With that done, Lily decided to make sure that she had all of her school supplies. She opened up her trunk and saw her schoolbooks were there. Her robes were there as well. She had a cauldron and ingredients as required. Most importantly, Lily had her wand. It was 10 ½ inches, ivy, with a phoenix feather core. The second it had first touched her hand she had known that she was its witch. She couldn't wait to learn how to properly use it.

As for a pet, she had decided to get an owl. They were very useful, and she thought that they were very beautiful. She had chosen a male barn own, and had named him Nyroc. All in all, she was completely prepared.

By 8 am, her whole family was awake. Her dad made sure that they were all prepared, while her mum cooked them breakfast. They sat down together at the table, and Lily listened to her brothers chatter about Hogwarts while scarfing down food. Lily usually was able to eat as much as them, but today she only managed to eat a piece of toast and nibble on some bacon.

Soon they were finally out the door and on their way to King's Cross station. It didn't take long, for before she knew it, they were at King's Cross Station. Lily's parents helped her unload her trunk and owl into a trolley. She watched her brothers both run through the barrier between platforms 9 and 10. She took a moment to gather herself. It was weird to think that this time, once she crossed the barrier, she wouldn't come back through until the start of summer.

Lily felt a hand on her shoulder, and she looked up at her father. "Are you ready, Lil?" he asked her. He gave her an encouraging smile, and she smiled back at him. She always felt safe when she was with her father. She supposed it had something to do with the fact that he was the Wizarding World's hero, and an auror. But to her he was just her dad.

She and her dad went through the barrier together. She smiled when she was greeted with the sight of the Hogwarts Express. She was sure that it had never been that beautiful before.

"Lily!"

Lily looked around, trying to find the source of the familiar voice. A grin lit up her face when she saw Hugo standing with his parents. She left her dad behind as she ran over to her favorite cousin. She skidded to a halt and barely managed to keep her trolley from hitting him.

"Hi, Hugo!" Lily cheerfully greeted him. She looked past him, and beamed at her aunt and uncle. "Hi Uncle Ron, hi Aunt Hermione."

"Hey there, Lils," Uncle Ron said, ruffling her hair. She scowled at him and tried to fix it with her hands.

"Hello, Lily," Aunt Hermione said with an amused smile. "Are you all ready for Hogwarts?"

"Yeah, I am. I made sure this morning that I have everything prepared," Lily answered to her approving aunt.

"I wish Hugo could be that prepared," Aunt Hermione responded. Hugo rolled his eyes.

"Mum, dad, we gotta go," Hugo said in an attempt to stop the conversation. Lily's mum and dad finally came over to their little group. She assumed they had been saying goodbye to James and Al.

"We're going to miss you, Lily," her mum said. Lily felt a pang of sadness at the thought of leaving her parents alone. It would be strange for them not to have any kids around. But maybe they would enjoy getting time away from their kids.

"I'll miss you guys, too," Lily admitted. She really would. She loved her parents very much. But her desire to be at Hogwarts far outweighed her nerves at leaving her parents, so she felt no doubts or regrets.

She and Hugo both patiently let themselves be hugged and kissed and fussed over by their parents. They finally managed to say their goodbyes, and they boarded the train. They searched the compartments, and found one with James, Fred, Rose, and Al. The older kids beckoned them inside the compartment, and Lily and Hugo squeezed in. It was a bit crowded with six of them, but it wasn't that bad.

Lily looked out the window and waved at her parents. She watched them get smaller and smaller as the train left the station. After that, she turned her attention to the conversations going on around her. James and Fred were complaining that they would have to take OWLs this year. Rose and Al were boasting about finally getting to go to Hogsmeade. Then the conversation turned to the two first years.

"So, what houses do you reckon they'll be in?" Fred asked.

"Gryffindor, duh. We all end up there," James answered in a bored tone. Rose rolled her brown eyes at James. Lily could sense that Rose was about to correct him on what he'd said.

"Victoire was in Hufflepuff," Rose began in a matter-of-fact tone. "Lucy is in Hufflepuff, and Dominique is in Ravenclaw. So, Hugo and Lily aren't guaranteed to be in Gryffindor."

James scowled at her, and Lily prepared for an argument to start. Al quickly added in his own opinion, in order to stop the fight before it started. "Well, Lily and Hugo both seem pretty Gryffindor. Besides, I have a feeling that if they really want to be there, that's where they will end up."

"What do you mean?" James asked, his annoyance with Rose completely forgotten.

Al just shrugged, and didn't offer up any explanation to his statement. Lily wondered what he knew that they didn't. Did their desires really factor into the Sorting? That was an interesting thought.

"I dunno, Lil's smart. She could end up in Ravenclaw with Dom," Fred suggested.

Lily sighed. She was beginning to feel annoyed that she and Hugo were being discussed while they were sitting right there. Rose must have heard her, because she turned her attention to Lily.

"Lily, what house do you think you'll be in?" Rose asked her.

Lily opened her mouth to say Gryffindor. After all, she had always imagined that she would end up there, and she thought that was what she wanted. Her parents and grandparents were Gryffindor, and most of her aunts and uncles. So she thought she would naturally end up there. But then some of her cousins had started ending up in different houses, so now she had to wonder. Did she belong in Gryffindor? Did she want to be in Gryffindor? Now she found herself at a loss as to what she should say to Rose. Luckily, she was saved from having to answer by the lady with the candy trolley knocking on their compartment door.

The kids all bought plenty of yummy snacks, and their previous conversation was completely forgotten. After a while, James and Fred got bored of hanging out with their younger siblings and cousins, and the two trouble-makers went off to find the other boys in their year.

At one point, the doors to their compartment opened and revealed a trio of students wearing robes lined with green. The apparent leader of the group was a pale boy with messy blonde hair, and intense grey eyes. His eyes briefly shone with curiosity when they landed on Lily, but then his face turned into a sneer when his eyes landed on Al and Rose.

"Well, look who it is. The stuck-up Weasley, and the wanna-be James," the boy said with a smirk. His friends all looked at them with equally amused looks. Al looked furious at the boy's words.

"Shut up, Malfoy! What are you doing here, anyway?" Al demanded. Lily felt a sense of understanding. This was the infamous Scorpius Malfoy, who her brothers both hated. She looked at him with renewed interest, wanting to see what it was about him that was so bad. His words weren't kind, but not the most harsh words either. Al's voice was far more aggressive than Malfoy's.

"We heard the youngest Potter was finally going to grace Hogwarts with her presence," Malfoy answered. His stormy eyes once again landed on Lily. His face was void of any negative emotion when he looked at her. Was he waiting to form an opinion on her until he knew her?

"Yes, I am. So kind of you to be my welcoming party," Lily said, keeping her voice calm and showing only the tiniest hint of amusement.

"Lily, don't talk to him!" Rose ordered fiercely. "He's a no good jerk. He isn't worth your time." Lily tilted her head to the side slightly, wondering why Rose expected her to hate someone without knowing them. Wasn't that sort of attitude the same that Draco Malfoy had had back when he tried to steer her father away from Uncle Ron?

"What, can't let the girl make her own decisions? Typical bossy Weasley," a tall girl with dirty blond hair said.

"Sod off, Avery," Al sneered. The girl rolled her eyes, but Scorpius looked a bit annoyed now.

"Don't talk to her like that, Potter," Scorpius demanded.

"What, is she your girlfriend?" Al sneered. Now it was apparently Scorpius' turn to roll his eyes.

"Don't be stupid. She's like a sister to me. You wouldn't like it if I was rude to your sister, would you?" Scorpius explained in a voice that one would use to talk to a small child.

"Come on, Scor, we're wasting our time here. Obviously we're not allowed to have a conversation with new Hogwarts students," a boy with brown hair said.

"Guess you're right, Byron," Scorpius said, once again sounding bored. "Catch you later, little Potter."

Lily watched the trio leave the compartment. That had been an interesting encounter. She wasn't sure what she had expected Scorpius Malfoy to be like, but it definitely wasn't that. He was unnecessarily rude to her brother and cousin, but they were just as bad towards him and his friends. She wondered how this enmity had even started. She had never gotten the story of how it happened.

"I hate him so much," Al complained. Rose gave him a sympathetic look.

"Don't let him get to you, Al. You're so much better than him," Rose encouraged.

"Yeah, he seems like a jerk. He didn't even act like I existed," Hugo said with a scowl. It was true, Lily realized. He had verbally sparred with Al and Rose, and had spoken to Lily, but hadn't said a word to Hugo.

"He is. You both need to stay away from him. Stay away from all the Slytherins, if you can help it," Rose encouraged. Lily wondered if all Slytherins could really be that bad. After all, these kids couldn't help who their parents were or what their parents had done. A lot of their parents had been forced into it by their own parents, or were too scared to oppose Voldemort. Surely these innocent kids couldn't be blamed for the mistakes of their parents. Lily had a feeling if she said any of this it would just cause problems between her and her cousins and brothers, so she kept her mouth shut.

Rose kicked the boys out of the compartment so she and Lily could change into their robes. Lily got into the solid black robes and wondered what color would end up lining them. A brief image of her with green-lined robes popped into her head, but she pushed it out. That idea was just ridiculous. She would end up in Gryffindor, and if not, then maybe Ravenclaw. She couldn't be a Slytherin, though. Her family would never forgive her!

The train finally arrived, and Hugo and Lily broke away from their siblings in order to go with the other first years to the boats. Lily smiled when she saw Hagrid. She and Hugo both stopped to say hello to him, and then they got into a boat. They were joined by two different girls they didn't know.

"Hey, I'm Hugo," her cousin broke the silence.

"I'm his cousin, Lily," Lily added.

"My name is Rose," one girl, with raven hair, said. Lily and Hugo exchanged an amused look.

"My sister's name is Rose," Hugo said with a smile. He turned to the other girl, who had slightly curly brown hair.

"I'm Kaira," she said. Her blue eyes had that wide-eyed disbelief that showed that she was likely muggle-born. She gasped as the boats started moving by themselves. She seemed nervous but also very excited. "I still can't believe this is happening."

"Are your parents muggles?" Hugo asked. Kaira nodded.

"What about you, Rose?" Lily asked the other girl.

"My parents are both wizards, but my father is only the second generation in his family to be a wizard. So I'm sort of a half-blood, I guess," Rose answered.

The boats arrived at the shore, and the students all eagerly drank in the sight of Hogwarts. Lily couldn't believe how amazing it was. The pictures she had seen, and the descriptions from family members, truly did not do it justice. She was filled with a desire to explore every inch of the castle.

The children were shepherded into the castle. Lily could hear snippets of different conversations as students tried to figure out how the Sorting worked. She already knew, but she wouldn't say anything unless she was asked.

Uncle Neville, or Professor Longbottom as she would now have to call him, came into the room the students were waiting in. Lily listened as he explained the purpose of houses to them. She looked around, and saw that some kids seemed confident, some seemed unsure, and some seemed downright terrified. She wondered what her expression looked like, and she worked to try and make it seem calm.

Finally, Professor Longbottom led them into the Great Hall. Lily immediately looked up at the ceiling, and felt appreciation at the complex charm that allowed the ceiling to reflect the weather outside. She loved the look of shock of some people's faces. She saw that Kaira looked amazed. Then Lily scanned the four tables, and saw all the talking students. Many of them were watching the first years. Finally, her gaze landed on the Sorting Hat.

The Sorting Hat sang its song, and then Professor Longbottom pulled out a list of names. The Great Hall was mostly silent, as everyone was interested to see who would be joining their house.

"Avery, Alana."

Lily watched a slightly nervous looking girl with light brown hair go up to the stool. She sat down, and the Sorting Hat was placed on her head. After a moment, it declared "SLYTHERIN", and Alana happily hopped down from the stool after removing the hat, and she walked to the cheering table of students. Lily watched as students were sorted into the four houses. Kaira Bennett got sent to Gryffindor. Finally, she heard: "Potter, Lily". The students that had been quietly talking all fell quiet, and Lily saw that all attention was on her.

She tried to keep her face blank as she approached the stool. She sat down on it, and tried not to pay attention to the hundreds of eyes that were focused on her. The hat was placed on her head, and Lily waited to hear a house name get shouted.

"Ah, the last of the Potter children. Where to put you? Gryffindor would seem the obvious choice, and it definitely would suit you," the hat's voice was spoken inside her head. Lily shivered, and wondered why the hat hadn't immediately placed her in Gryffindor.

"You see, Miss Potter, you are equally suited for both Gryffindor, and Slytherin. You undoubtedly have courage. But you've also been in the shadow of all your family members. You, the baby of the family, want to stand out and be different. You haven't fully acknowledged this desire, but you know it's there," the hat told her. So now what would happen? "That depends on you. Wherever you most want to go is where you belong."

Lily was feeling a bit panicked. People were starting to whisper, since a name hadn't been shouted right away. A few other students had taken a while, but everyone had expected a Potter to go to Gryffindor. She saw the expectant faces of her brothers, and she didn't know what to do. She knew she would love Gryffindor, and fit in there well. She would be with her family, and she would always be sure of her place. But, at the same time, she felt a certain draw towards Slytherin. None of her cousins or siblings had been sorted there. She would be the first, and she could make herself known for being Lily, and not for being a Potter.

Lily shut her eyes, and came to a conclusion. She knew where she wanted to go.

"Very well, then. It'll be…."

**A/N: Originally, each chapter in this fanfiction was going to alternate between Lily being in Gryffindor, and Lily being in Slytherin. But I soon realized it could get confusing constantly switching back and forth, and it would take forever to finish. So now this fanfiction will only contain the Slytherin chapters. My friend, Cat, convinced me not to completely abandon the Gryffindor story, so I'll post that as a separate fanfiction. I will focus more on this one, and once this one is done I can focus completely on the Gryffindor version.**


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: Here's the first Slytherin chapter! **

**I give credit to xHetaliax for beta'ing this chapter! :D**

**Slytherin: Chapter 1**

"Very well, then," Lily heard the hat speak into her mind. "It'll be… SLYTHERIN!"

Silence. Lily stared for a moment at the shocked faces of the Hogwarts students. She was kind of shocked herself. She really hadn't thought she would have it in her to choose Slytherin. But she had, and now she would have to deal with any repercussions of this choice. She slid off the stool and gently set the hat on it. Before she could take a step towards her new House table, James seemed to finally regain his voice.

"No! There's a mistake! My baby sister isn't a Slytherin!" James yelled. Once again there was silence for a moment, but then there was yelling.

"Yeah! Lil's a Gryffindor for sure!" Fred agreed loudly. Other students voiced their agreement. Lily looked at the Slytherins to see what they would say. She really hoped that her House would accept her, otherwise it was going to be a long seven years.

"Shut up, Potter! The hat gave her to us!" a Slytherin boy yelled. "We've got our own Potter!"

Other Slytherins began to echo similar sentiments. Not all of them did, but many seemed excited to have her in their House. She started walking to the table, and a lot of them started cheering for her. Some of them gave her wary looks, but others welcomed her with smiles.

Lily took a seat at the table next to the other first years. They gave her curious looks, and she struggled to keep her apprehension from showing. She looked back up at the Sorting so she had an excuse not to talk. She needed time to gather her thoughts and feelings. She watched as Hugo was sorted to Gryffindor, and saw the hurt look he sent her as he walked to the table he had expected her to be at. Then, Rose Wilde was sorted into Slytherin. She looked indifferent as she walked over to the table and sat down next to Lily. The last person sorted was Gilbert Zabini, also into Slytherin.

"So we meet again," Rose commented. "I would've thought you'd be over there, though." She gestured towards the Gryffindor table. Lily didn't follow her glance, as she couldn't stand the thought of meeting the faces of her brothers and cousins.

"Yeah, you and everyone else," Lily responded.

"Well, I think it's cool that you're here," Alana Avery, the first child to be sorted, spoke up. "My sister always tells me about the rivalry between us and the Gryffs, and you being here will definitely make them mad!"

Lily wasn't sure how to respond to that. "Who's your sister?" she asked after a moment.

"Evelyn. She's the blonde sitting with Scorpius Malfoy," Alana answered. Lily recognized the older girl from the train, the one that her cousin had referred to as Avery.

"Is the rivalry really that bad?" Rose asked curiously. "I don't have any older siblings, so I haven't heard about it."

"Yeah, it is. No offense, Lily, but my sister tells me that your brothers are jerks. She says that the older Potter is stuck up and thinks he can do no wrong, and that everyone adores the younger one because he looks like your dad. They both really hate Slytherins, too."

Lily had never heard these things about her brothers before, and she hoped that they weren't true. Alana was obviously biased and would automatically believe what her older sister said. Then again, maybe Lily herself was biased, as she didn't want to think her brothers were deserving of any dislike. She hoped that their hatred of Slytherins wouldn't extend to her, now that she was one.

The red-haired girl was glad when Professor Shacklebolt stood up, and everyone quieted. She was more than happy to have a distraction. Still, it was hard to focus on his speech, especially since she already knew about all the statements he was making. She knew that the Forbidden Forest was forbidden, and she knew that Filch had a list of banned items. She also knew that nobody paid any attention to the list.

The Headmaster concluded his speech, and the food appeared on the tables. Lily decided to try to push away her conflicting feelings, and just enjoy the feast. The food was very excellent, just as everyone had always said it was. Lily was used to seeing a lot of food, since there were always family gatherings at the Burrow for holidays and birthdays. But this far exceeded even the huge meals offered at the Burrow.

Once everyone's hunger was somewhat sated, conversations started up again. A first year Slytherin girl with long dark hair regarded Lily with a cool expression on her face. "So, Potter, how do you feel about being in Slytherin?" the girl asked.

"Does it matter? I obviously belong here, so if you're asking me if I'm upset about not being in Gryffindor, then the answer is no. And call me Lily, not Potter," Lily responded. The girl gave her a scrutinizing look, and then nodded.

"Alright, then, Lily. I'm Melanie Flint," she introduced herself. She nudged the girl sitting next to her, who had golden hair and a bored expression on her face. "This is Ava Greengrass." Ava glanced at Lily, and then looked away without saying anything. Lily got the impression that Ava didn't think Lily was worth her time. How lovely.

"Don't mind Ava, she's just a bitch," a boy inputted cheerfully. He had dark skin, and brown eyes that were bright and lively.

"Sod off, Zabini," Ava snapped. The boy just smirked at her. Then he turned to Lily.

"I'm Gilbert Zabini. You've shaken things up, Lily," he said. He seemed excited by that fact. Then he turned to Rose. "I don't recognize you. Have any family in Slytherin?"

"No. My family is usually in Ravenclaw or Gryffindor," Rose answered. Lily was glad that she wasn't the only odd one out here.

"Great, so we've got two lions in the snake den this year," Ava sighed. Rose's dark blue eyes narrowed.

"I got sorted into Slytherin, didn't I? So I'm more snake than lion. I thought Lily just explained that, but I guess you're too stupid to understand the first time," Rose responded. Alana and Melanie looked at each other as though questioning what they should do. Lily assumed that Alana, Melanie and Ava had likely all grown up together, since they were from old Slytherin families. But Alana and Melanie didn't want to alienate Lily and Rose.

Ava scowled at Rose, and opened her mouth to retort. Before she could, Alana interrupted. "Hey, how about we don't all start arguing at dinner? Do you _want_ to make a bad impression on the older Slytherins?"

Ava rolled her eyes, but she didn't retaliate. Lily had a feeling this wasn't over, though. Still, at least 3 out of 4 of her dorm mates seemed alright with her. Lily could deal with just one problematic person. She hoped that Ava could actually give her a chance, since it would be an annoying seven years if she had an enemy in her own dorm.

Their dinner cleared away, and was replaced with dessert. Lily absentmindedly reached for mint chocolate chip ice cream, and almost smiled when she realized her favorite ice cream was green colored, just like her new House. She really did love the color green. It didn't clash with her red hair like the scarlet color of Gryffindor did.

After everyone had their fill of dessert, the treats all disappeared. Shacklebolt stood up, and everyone looked up at him. "Before you all go off to bed, I must ask you to partake in the Hogwarts tradition of singing the school song," he spoke.

With a flourish of his wand, the words appeared in the air for every student to see. Everyone began singing, and it was weird to hear so many different tunes and tempos for one song. Lily could hear James and Fred singing loudly and out of tune. Everyone finished singing, and the students started getting up. The fifth year Slytherin prefects approached the first years.

"First years, follow us. Try not to get lost," the boy prefect said. He set off at a quick pace, and the girl gave them a sympathetic look before matching his stride. The first years struggled to keep up. Lily wished she was taller. She had always been rather small and petite.

They entered the dungeons, and stopped in front of a wall. Lily wondered how they were to enter the common room. She knew for Gryffindor you entered through a portrait, but she didn't know anything about Slytherin's entrance.

"Salazar," the male prefect said. A passageway appeared, and the young students hesitantly followed the two prefects into the passageway. The passage wasn't all that long, and soon they caught their first glimpse of the common room. It seemed very grand, although it was a bit dark. The green lights were pretty, in Lily's opinion.

"Salazar? That's what you picked? A bit obvious isn't it?" the girl asked the boy.

The boy snorted and rolled his eyes. "Come on, Maribel, do you think the Gryffindors have got any better? Since Thomas is apparently the one who picked the password, it's probably something like Quidditch, or Potter."

"Well, I guess you're right. Besides, they don't know where our common room is located anyway," Maribel responded. She then turned to the first years. "Hi, everyone. I'm Maribel Hart, and this oaf here is Vince Goyle. We're your fifth year prefects."

"We'll try to make this quick, since I'm sure you're all tired. Look, I'll be honest, it won't be easy being a Slytherin. Everyone will automatically assume the worst of you, and you'll get so fed up with their attitudes that you'll give up on trying to prove them wrong. The Gryffindors especially hate us, thanks to Potter. If you've got older brothers or sisters in Slytherin, they're more likely to go after you to get back at your siblings."

Some of the first years glanced around at each other with uncertainty visible in their eyes. Maribel sighed. "We don't want to freak you out or anything. Slytherin is a great house to be in. We're cunning and ambitious, and those traits can help you go far in life. Never be ashamed of this house. We're just as capable of great things as all the other houses are. Also, you need to stick up for each other. It's us against all of them, so we need to at least try to present a united front. Even if you don't all like each other, you _will _defend each other." Maribel's tone of voice was such that nobody was prepared to argue. Lily glanced at Ava, and repressed a sigh. She supposed that meant she would need to defend that girl if it came down to it. She would, but she wondered if Ava would defend her in turn.

"Okay, that's all. If you've got questions, find one of us I guess. If you run into any trouble with Gryffindors, then definitely find us, or any upperclassmen," Vince told them seriously. "Anyway, boys are on the right, girls on the left. Okay, now scram."

"Wow, I'm really feeling the love," a boy said. Vince glared at him.

"Get out of here, Lukas. Go to bed," Vince ordered. Lukas stuck his tongue out at his brother, and then walked off towards the boy dormitories.

"You shouldn't be so mean to your little brother," Maribel scolded. She turned to another boy and smiled at him. "Doing okay, Riley?"

"Sure," Riley said with a shrug. A yawn escaped his lips.

"Well, then, off you go to bed," Maribel said. She ruffled his hair, and he gave her a half-hearted glare. He then followed the other first year boys.

Lily turned to the other girls, and the group of them went to the left like they were told. They found the room that belonged to them, and entered it. Her trunk was in front of the bed that was to the right of the door. She quickly changed into her pajamas, which consisted of a t-shirt that used to be Teddy's, and cotton shorts that were once James's. She saw that Rose also had casual pajamas, but the other three girls had nice silk pajamas. Ava looked at Lily's clothes and sneered. Lily decided it wasn't worth the effort to respond, so she got into her bed and pulled the curtains shut.

Despite the long day she'd had, Lily had trouble falling asleep. Her mind was racing as it tried to process everything that had happened. She couldn't believe that she was in Slytherin. Her whole life she had always thought she would be with the lions, not the snakes. It didn't sound like it would be easy being a Slytherin, either. She was worried what her family would think, and she hoped her parents wouldn't be mad or disappointed. She also wasn't happy that she already had to deal with a bully. Still, she thought that maybe she could succeed in Slytherin. Ambition was valued in this house, and it could help her rise out of the shadow of her parents, and of her siblings and cousins. She could stand out, and show the world that she was more than just Harry Potter's daughter.

With those thoughts in her mind, Lily was finally able to fall asleep.

**A/N: Please review and tell me what you think! **


	3. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Beta read by xHetaliax and edited by my friend Cat. Also, there's been some changes. If you read the Author's Note in the prologue you'll understand. I'll copy and paste it and put it at the end of the chapter if you don't wish to look at the Prologue.**

**Chapter 2**

Lily's light brown eyes shot open when she heard movement. It only took a glance around the room for her to know where she was: the Slytherin dormitory. Usually she didn't wake up so easily, but she had slept more lightly last night due to her nerves. She looked around to see who the first girl awake was, and she saw it was Ava. Lily decided to feign sleep so she wouldn't have to talk to the unpleasant girl.

She wasn't sure how to feel about being in Slytherin. She was undoubtedly nervous, because people in her family really didn't like Slytherins. She was worried that her parents would be disappointed, and that her brothers would be mad. How would Hugo feel about her being Slytherin? All their lives they had excitedly discussed being in Gryffindor together, and all the things they would do. Would he be upset with her for being a snake instead of a lion?

Still, although Lily was filled with apprehension, she couldn't bring herself to regret her decision. She honestly held no negative feelings toward the Slytherin house, and she didn't think she was a bad person for being sorted into there. Plus, she was the first one of the Potters and Weasleys to be sorted into Slytherin. Gryffindor was predictable, Hufflepuff had already been done twice (Victoire and Lucy), and then Dominique had gotten sorted into Ravenclaw the year before. So if Lily wanted to stand out, she couldn't be in any of those houses. Slytherin would mean that she could show everyone that there was more to her than just being another Potter/Weasley.

As soon as Ava was gone, Lily got out of bed and went to take a shower. She turned up the water until it was almost too hot, and she let the heat wash away her worries. By the time she got out of the shower, she felt a lot more prepared for the day ahead of her. She put on her uniform, and she smiled at how nice the color green looked on her.

Lily waited a few minutes for Rose to finish getting ready since she'd apparently gotten up just a few minutes after her. Once the dark haired girl was finished getting ready, the two left the dormitory. They passed through the common room, and she saw Scorpius Malfoy lounging on a couch with his two friends, Evelyn and Byron. He nodded at the two first year girls when they walked past him, and then he went back to talking with his friends.

"So, do you remember where the Great Hall is?" Rose asked Lily as they left the common room.

"Well… not really. But I'm sure we'll find it," Lily responded. After all, how hard could it be? They just needed to retrace their steps from last night.

It wasn't quite as easy as Lily thought it would be. They ended up getting lost, but luckily they ended up running into Maribel, one of the 5th year Prefects, and she showed them the way. Lily made sure to pay close attention so she wouldn't get lost again.

It was still fairly early in the morning, so the tables were pretty empty. Lily was confused when she didn't see Ava at the Slytherin table. After all, she had been up before Lily. But then Rose nudged her, and told her to look at the Ravenclaw table. Lily looked over at the table, and she saw Ava was sitting next to another blonde haired girl, and they were talking quietly. Lily wondered what Ava was doing over there. She seemed to think Slytherin was better than other houses, after all.

"Hey, little Potter."

The sound of Scorpius Malfoy's voice startled Lily from her thoughts. She looked up to see him sit down across from her. Evelyn and Byron sat on either side of him. Lily raised an eyebrow at him. Why would 3rd years want to sit with 1st years?

"Hello, Scorpius," Lily responded politely.

"I see you're looking at my cousins," he commented. Lily felt surprised, and she quickly looked again at Ava and the other girl. Ava was related to Scorpius? Did that mean the other girl was Ava's sister?

"I didn't know you had cousins," Lily told him.

"Yeah, Ava and Callie's dad is my uncle. He's my mom's older brother. They have an older brother in our house. His name's Zackiah, and he's on the Quidditch team with me. He's a cool guy," Scorpius answered. "I also have more cousins, they're my aunt Daphne's kids. Only one of them is at Hogwarts, the rest are all under 11."

"Wow, I didn't know you had so many cousins. Still, I think I win, since I have about a million, and I have two older brothers," Lily responded with a small smile.

"Oh, we know all about your cousins and brothers," Evelyn cut in. "They think they rule the school. It's ridiculous." Evelyn's annoyance was directed at Lily's relatives, but not at Lily herself. That was reassuring.

"They say the same about you guys," Lily informed them. Byron rolled his eyes.

"Of course they do," he muttered.

"Are you guys trying to turn her against her family?" Scorpius asked his friends. His amusement was evident in his voice. Byron shrugged.

"Nah, they're her family after all. I just think she deserves to know that they suck," Byron told him.

"Well, I'm gonna go check on my cousins. Callie's probably freaking out about not getting into Slytherin. After all, all of our families always get sorted into here. She probably thinks she's going to get disowned," Scorpius laughed. "Later, little Potter, and other first year girl."

"I have a name, you know," Rose muttered, looking distinctly annoyed.

"Her name's Rose. Don't you pay any attention at all to the Sorting?" Evelyn told Scorpius. Scorpius just shrugged at her, and she rolled her eyes. "Oh, get out of here, Malfoy. Go bug your cousins."

"Love you too, Ev," Scorpius responded. He winked at Lily, and then stood up. Instead of walking all the way around the table, he stood on the bench and stepped onto the table. He stepped down onto the other bench, next to Lily, and then hopped to the floor.

"I can't believe him," Evelyn sighed as she watched him stroll towards the Ravenclaw table. "Sometimes I question why I'm friends with him."

Soon the Great Hall began to fill up. Scorpius made his way back to the table with Ava, and the rest of the first years began showing up. Some of them seemed surprised that the 3rd years were sitting with them, but they soon relaxed once they saw that the 3rd years were friendly enough.

Lily was glad when the food appeared on the tables. She was worried that one or more of her relatives would come to the table and confront her, but hopefully having food in front of them would keep them distracted.

While everyone ate, the Heads of the Houses walked around and passed out schedules. Professor Slughorn greeted Scorpius and his friends in an amicable tone, and gave them their schedules. Then he looked at Lily.

"Lily Potter! You're named after one of the most talented witches I've ever known. She was one of my best and brightest students, you know," Slughorn told her. He seemed genuinely pleased to see her. "I am very glad that you're in my house. I look forward to seeing you in Potions."

"Thank you, sir," Lily responded. She wondered if her surprise was visible on her face.

Slughorn gave the first years their schedules, and then he walked away. Scorpius started laughing at Lily.

"Wow, Potter, you should've seen your face," he told her. "You looked so surprised and confused."

Lily scowled at Scorpius. "Shut up, Malfoy," she snapped. "And quit calling me Potter! My name is Lily. There's more to me than just being a Potter."

Scorpius looked a bit surprised. His grey eyes stared intently into her brown ones, as if he was searching for something. Then he nodded slowly. "Alright, Lily. Maybe there is more to you. I look forward to finding out."

Lily hadn't been expecting that response. Still, she was glad that Scorpius was genuinely willing to give her a chance. Most of the people in Slytherin seemed to be completely accepting of her, and that made her glad. It made her feel like she truly had made the right choice.

Lily's first class was Potions, which she was looking forward to. Well, she was, up until the point when she realized they had the class with Gryffindor. Once that realization hit her, she found herself not so eager to attend Potions. She really didn't want to see Hugo and have to deal with his disappointment. She knew he wouldn't understand, and he might even take it personally since he had always thought they would be in Gryffindor together.

"Hey, are you okay? You're spacing out," Rose said to her. Lily pushed away her thoughts of Hugo and focused on Rose.

"I'm fine," Lily assured her, giving her a small smile.

They were walking to Potions class with the other first years, each of them ending up there a bit early, and thankfully there were no Gryffindors in sight. Lily could only hope that Slughorn would show up soon and let them in the classroom.

Sadly, he didn't show up before the Gryffindors. The Slytherins, who had been chatting with each other, all stopped talking and instead stared at the other group of children. The Gryffindors stared back at them, and Lily found her eyes meeting Hugo's. She could see the confusion and hurt in his blue eyes, so she broke eye contact and looked at the ground.

Lily wondered how long this awkward silence would last, and her unspoken question was answered a moment later when a Gryffindor boy spoke up.

"What are you looking at, snakes?" the boy challenged. His tone of voice was confident, but Lily could see the uncertainty in his eyes.

"Definitely not at you, since none of us want to see your ugly face," Ava answered, sounding harsher than she had when she had challenged Lily the night before. Melanie and Alana gigged at her statement. The Gryffindor boy glared at the Slytherin girls.

"You're one to talk. You're hideous," a different Gryffindor boy spoke up. His friends nodded their approval at his defense of the first boy. Ava looked uncaring at his insult. Lily figured that the other girl felt confident enough with herself that she wouldn't believe it when someone called her ugly.

"Insulting girls isn't very chivalrous. You sure you're in the right house?" Gilbert said with an amused smirk on his face. Ava shot him an annoyed look, and she seemed torn between being pleased that he came to her defense, and being annoyed at him for doing so.

"Wow, Gil, you're really defending Ava?" Alana asked him seeming both amused and surprised at his actions.

Gilbert's smirking face morphed into a disgusted expression when he realized that he had just defended Ava. Ava sneered at him.

"Is arguing really necessary?" Lily spoke up. She felt a bit uncomfortable with everyone's eyes on her, but she didn't let it show. "Come on, it's the first day of school. Just because we're first years doesn't mean we have to act like it."

"What, do you think you're better than us, Lily? Too good for Gryffindor, huh?" Hugo finally spoke up. She could see his words were motivated by hurt, but he was letting his hurt change into anger.

"I never said that, Hugo. Quit putting words in my mouth," Lily snapped at her best friend.

"Well, apparently the words that come out of your mouth can't be trusted, so I'm just trying to make sense of things," Hugo shot back. Lily's mind flashed back to all their excited discussions of being in Gryffindor together. She hadn't been lying during those times; she just hadn't realized yet what she truly wanted. She resented the implication that she was a liar.

"I didn't know, okay? I meant what I said at the time, but I was wrong. I'm not Gryffindor material, so you're just going to have to deal with it," Lily said, trying to keep the hurt out of her voice. Why couldn't he understand? He was supposed to be her best friend!

The Slytherins and Gryffindors all looked unsure. None of them wanted to interrupt the argument between the two cousins. Luckily for them, they didn't have to, because the door to the classroom opened, revealing a smiling Professor Slughorn.

"Welcome, students. Come on in," he said, stepping back to allow them to enter the classroom. Lily cast a glance at Hugo, and he averted his gaze so he wouldn't have to meet her eyes. She sighed quietly and followed the Slytherins into the room.

Lily saw Hugo take a seat in the back, so she made sure to sit in the front. She really didn't want to be near him right now. Rose slid into the seat next to her, and gave her a sympathetic smile. Thankfully, she didn't try to talk to Lily about what just transpired. Lily was grateful for that since she didn't want to think about it, much less talk about it. At the same time, though, she was feeling a hint of annoyance at the fact that everyone seemed to pity her. She really didn't need their pity. In a way, they weren't different from her family, since they seemed to view her as just a helpless little kid.

"Good morning, everyone," Slughorn began. "I know that a lot of you won't end up feeling passionate about potions, but I hope that there are a few of you who possess a natural talent. Potion making is a complex art, though you will start off with simple potions. Before we do anything, today, I'll need to call role."

He began reading through the names on the list, and would occasionally question someone about their family. He took an interest in Gilbert Zabini, because Gilbert's brother and sister were both Slytherin prefects, and Alana Avery, whose brother Alaric was the captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team. When he got to Lily's name, his face lit up.

"Lily, I'm glad to have you in my class. I was great friends with your grandmother, who you're named after. She was one of my best students. Your father also had some talent with potions. Your mother excels at hexes, if I remember correctly. Both of your parents were very talented," Slughorn told her.

"Thank you, Professor," Lily responded.

"I do hope you'll have Lily Evans' skills at potion making. Your brother Albus makes acceptable potions, and James... well, his are passable. But neither of them have true skill," Slughorn said, sounding disappointed. "Of course, they have other talents. But still, it would be great if one of you three could be good at potions."

"Well, sir, I'll try my best," Lily answered with a smile. She felt embarrassed at him making such a big deal about her, but she was glad that he seemed interested in her abilities.

Thankfully, he moved on, and Lily got to watch as he questioned Hugo. Slughorn praised Hermione's skills, and said how Rose was just as talented as her. Lily could see that Hugo was annoyed, and she didn't blame him. He was always being compared to Rose, which couldn't be easy. She would, under normal circumstances, have given him a sympathetic smile.

Lily was a bit disappointed that they didn't make any potions that day. Instead, Slughorn explained the curriculum for the school year, and then asked them questions to see if they had any pre-existing knowledge of potions. A few of them, like Lily, had skimmed the book, and so were able to answer a question here and there.

Still, she was relieved when the class ended. It was odd being in a room with Hugo while they were mad at each other. At least now they could have space to cool off, and hopefully they would be able to make amends.

The Slytherins had Defense Against the Dark Arts next. Professor Montgomery was a strict, no nonsense teacher, but the subject was very interesting. Lily supposed she could like the class despite the fact that their teacher wasn't the nicest person. He treated her no differently than her classmates, which was a nice change after having Slughorn make a big deal out of her.

"Montgomery seems like an arse," Gilbert commented as the first years left the class. "Blaine's gotten detentions from him before."

"Just because he gave your stupid brother detentions doesn't automatically make him an arse," Ava said.

"But, Ava, you were saying in class that he's an arse," Melanie pointed out with a smirk. Ava glared at her best friend, and Lily had to hold back a smile.

"Ever the hypocrite, aren't you, Ava?" Gilbert said to her in a smug tone.

"Can't the two of you go five minutes without fighting?" Alana asked with a sigh. Gilbert shrugged, and Ava pointedly avoided meeting Alana's gaze.

"Speaking of fighting," Lukas began. "It didn't take long for the Gryffindors to show what a bunch of prats they are."

"I know. I can't believe Lily's cousin was such an arse towards her!" Alana agreed. Lily wasn't all too pleased about the change of subject. She didn't really want to be the topic of discussion. The way she saw it was that her and Hugo's argument was between them, and wasn't other people's business.

"Want me to punch him for you, Lily?" Gilbert offered with a grin. Lily scowled at him.

"Look, I'll take care of Hugo, okay? He's _my _cousin," she pointed out. "Nobody is going to punch him, or harass him, got it?"

"You're no fun," Gilbert complained. "But fine, I'll pick a different Gryffindor to punch."

"Ugh, do you WANT to lose us House points, you git?" Ava criticized. "Don't be such a typical boy."

Lily was thankful that they arrived at the Great Hall, and the two arguing children were distracted by the prospect of eating lunch. She took a seat at the Slytherin table, next to Rose. The two girls chatted about their lessons as they put food onto their plates. Lily had just started eating when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She looked up to see the unhappy face of James.

"What are you doing here, Potter?" Gilbert challenged. Lily was surprised the first year was willing to challenge a fifth year student. James scowled at the younger boy but otherwise ignored him.

"Lily, we need to talk," James informed her. "Come on." He grabbed her arm and attempted to pull her up.

"James, let go of me!" Lily yelled. Her protest fell on deaf ears. The small girl couldn't really stop her brother from pulling her up.

"Hey, let go of her!" Rose demanded, standing up. The other first years got up too, even Ava.

"Shut up, kid. She's my sister, this is between us," James snapped as he started to drag Lily away. He was facing Rose as he spoke, so he didn't see the boy standing in front of him. He ran into Scorpius Malfoy, who somehow managed not to stumble.

"Potter, in case you haven't noticed, Lily here is our Housemate, so this is, actually, our business," Scorpius drawled. He was two years younger than James, and shorter, but he didn't seemed bothered by either of those facts.

"Lily is _not_ a dirty snake like you!" James snarled. "Now get out of my way, and let me talk to my baby sister!"

"I'm not a baby, James! Let go of me, you prat," Lily demanded. Her brown eyes, normally a light, happy color, were darkened with her anger.

"What seems to be the problem here?" a stern voice intoned.

The three students all turned to face a displeased looking Professor Montgomery. James immediately let go of Lily, who rubbed her reddened arm and shot a glare at her brother.

"There isn't a problem, sir. I was just trying to talk to my sister, but I'll do it another time," James muttered. He cast a dark look at Scorpius, and then he gave his sister an annoyed glance. Then he stalked off to the Gryffindor table. Professor Montgomery narrowed his eyes at the two Slytherins, but he didn't press the matter, and instead continued on his path to the Staff table.

"Are you okay, Lily?" Scorpius asked her. His gaze was directed at the reddened skin of her arm, where James had gripped it.

"I'm fine, Malfoy. Thanks for trying to help," Lily answered. She was reluctant to thank him, because she wanted to think that she didn't need any help. Still, she knew it would be rude not to thank him. Besides, it was a welcome change from how he had acted this morning.

"Hey, if I have to call you Lily, then you need to call me Scorpius. None of this last name business," he told her. She smiled slightly at him.

"Alright, Scorpius."

Lunch progressed normally after that, and soon Lily was getting up to leave for Herbology. She hadn't walked far when she heard someone call her name. She turned and saw her cousin Dominique walking towards her, flanked by the Scamander twins, Lorcan and Lysander. She felt a little wary, after all, her previous interactions with family members today had not gone all that well.

"Hi, Dominique," Lily greeted, her surprise evident in her voice. "Hi Lorcan, Lysander." She and Dominique were on friendly terms, but they weren't really close. Lily had always been close to Hugo, and Dominique was always more of a lone wolf. Lily hadn't been surprised when the red-haired girl had been sorted into Ravenclaw.

"Hey, Lils," Lorcan greeted in a friendly tone. Lysander, in a more quiet voice, said, "Hi, Lily."

"How have you been, Lily?" Dominique asked her.

"I've been… good, actually. I won't say that it's easy being in Slytherin, but I like it. People in there are seeing me as Lily, and not just another Potter," Lily answered. Dominique smiled, which was actually kind of weird, because Dominique wasn't the friendly type.

"I know what you mean. I feel the same about Ravenclaw. I was actually hoping you wouldn't be in Gryffindor. Out of everyone in the family, you really stand out to me the most," Dominique told her.

"Really?" Lily asked, feeling flattered. She smiled at Dominique. "Thanks, Dom. How have you been?"

"Good. I'm trying out for Chaser, and these two are both going for Beater again," Dominique answered. Lorcan and Lysander had made the Ravenclaw team the year before, as second years.

"We'll all make it, of course. We're too good not too," Lorcan said with a grin. Dominique rolled her eyes, but she was smirking.

The cousins had found Dominique's friendship with the twins odd. The Weasley and Potter kids were familiar with the Scamanders, since their mother, Luna, was a good friend of the family. However, the twins had spent most their lives traveling with their parents, so the cousins didn't know them that well. But when Dominique had been sorted into Ravenclaw last year, the twins had taken her under their wing. They had been inseparable ever since.

"It was nice seeing you three, but I really need to go. I can't be late to Herbology," Lily said in an apologetic tone.

"It's fine, Lil. See you later," Lorcan responded. He ruffled her hair, and she scowled at him.

"Bye, Lily," Lysander said, giving his brother an amused look.

"Yeah, bye Lily. You better hang out with us sometime. I'll try and keep our annoying cousins from giving you a hard time about your House," Dominique told her. Lily threw her cousin a grateful smile, and left the castle feeling a lot better. She was glad that at least one family member was alright with her new House.

Lily saw the Greenhouses up ahead, and noticed that all the students were already inside. Was she late? Quickening her pace, she tried to quietly open the door to Greenhouse One. Much to her dismay, everyone turned to look at her. She saw Neville, no, Professor Longbottom, giving her a stern look.

"Miss Potter, is there a reason why you are late to class? All your peers made it on time." Professor Longbottom said. Lily wasn't used to hearing him speak to her in a neutral tone like that. Her brothers had warned her that at school, he wasn't Uncle Neville. Now she was finally getting to see what they meant.

"Uh, I got lost," was the first thing that she blurted out. She winced as soon as she said it, and she heard people snickering. That excuse would be perfect for just about any other class, because most classes were held inside the castle, and it was normal for first years to get lost in there. But the Greenhouses weren't all that far from the castle, and they were pretty hard to miss. To make it worse, she had come here from lunch, so it should have been very easy to get here.

"You got lost?" Longbottom repeated. "Then maybe next time you should follow one of your classmates, if your sense of direction is that bad."

"Yes, sir," Lily muttered. She had a feeling he was trying to prove that he wouldn't show favoritism to family friends.

"Since you are late, everyone is already paired up. Please join Miss Greengrass and Miss Greengrass," he told her. She was about to protest, but he gave her a look that told her not to. She sighed and slunk over to the pair of blonde haired girls, and hoped that Ava's sister wouldn't be as rude as her.

There was no way that Lily was going to sit next to Ava, so she took a chance and sat down next to Callie. The two sisters looked at her, and she could see Ava was giving her an annoyed look, while Callie gave her a sympathetic look.

"You're lucky that you didn't lose our House any points. Was "I got lost" the best you could come up with? You're a Slytherin, for Merlin's sake!" Ava told her.

"Ava, leave her alone. She was just talking with the only family member who isn't making a big deal about her House," Callie scolded her sister. Of course Callie would sympathize, since she was from a Slytherin family, but had gotten sorted into Ravenclaw.

"I didn't mean to be late. I cut the conversation short so I wouldn't be," Lily told Ava. "Can we please not argue right now? I don't want to make Professor Longbottom even more annoyed."

Ava stared at her for a moment, and then nodded. The three of them managed to work together well enough for the rest of the class. By the end of Herbology, she decided that she would never be actively interested in the subject, but she would like the class. Professor Longbottom was a good and patient teacher, and he truly had passion for what he taught. Plus, Slytherin had the class with Ravenclaw. Out of all the Houses at Hogwarts, Slytherin got on best with Ravenclaw.

At dinner, none of her relatives approached her. Lily wondered if that was Dominique's doing, but she was too relieved to really ponder it too much. It was nice to eat a meal in peace. Some of the older students talked with the first years to find out how their classes went. When they described what happened before Potions, the older students weren't surprised.

"You should just get used to it. Gryffindors will always see you as slimy snakes, and nothing you do will change their minds. They claim we are a prejudiced house, but they are complete hypocrites," Misha, one of Melanie's brothers, told them.

It wasn't the most reassuring statements, but the older students reminded them that they just had to stick together and present a united front. Lily decided that she didn't regret going into Slytherin, even if she had to face prejudice from her peers and family.

After dinner, Lily forced herself to write a letter to her parents. She was sure her brothers and some of her cousins were all going to report her House, but she wanted her parents to hear it from her. She hinted at problems between her and the others, but she didn't go into detail, because she wasn't sure if getting her parents involved would be the best thing. She decided she would get up early and go to the Owlery to send the letter.

That night the first years had Astronomy. They were all grumbling at having to be outside at night. Lily knew they would all rather be sleeping. Still, she forced herself to stay awake and pay attention. Lily looked up into the night sky, and the swirling expanse of stars was reflected in her brown eyes, which appeared almost black in the darkness. She wondered, for a moment, at the vastness of the universe. The universe was so big, and humans were so small. She felt a fleeting moment of insignificance, the feeling that she was nothing in the grand scheme of things. She felt a sense of awe at the neverending universe. Then she felt a sense of determination fill her. She was determined to stand out, and to not be just yet another person wandering aimlessly through life. The universe might be incomprehensible, but she would do her best to be remembered, and to be remembered as Lily, and not Harry Potter's daughter. She would show everyone what she could do.

**Author's Note 2: Sorry it took so long to get this next chapter up. There were circumstances outside of my control that made it not possible to have up until now. I hope it was worth the wait, though. **

**Originally, each chapter in this fanfiction was going to alternate between Lily being in Gryffindor, and Lily being in Slytherin. But I soon realized it could get confusing constantly switching back and forth, and it would take forever to finish. So now this fanfiction will only contain the Slytherin chapters. My friend, Cat, convinced me not to completely abandon the Gryffindor story, so I'll post that as a separate fanfiction. I will focus more on this one, and once this one is done I can focus completely on the Gryffindor version. The Gryffindor version has been posted under the title of The Golden Girl. **


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

By the time the first week of school came to a close, Lily was starting to feel settled in. She had an idea of what to expect in each of her classes, and of what life was like at Hogwarts. It wasn't easy, but it was fun and challenging. She felt that she would be able to pass most of her classes. She also seemed to be more or less accepted by Slytherin house. Ava still didn't like her, but Lily wasn't going to let that bother her. She hadn't been approached by any family members since that day that James tried to drag her away to talk to her. The exception was Dominique, but Lily didn't mind talking to her, since Dominique was being supportive. She wasn't sure how the others felt since she hadn't talked to them, although she could see that Hugo was still upset. He hadn't yet apologized to her.

Lily decided that her favorite class was probably Potions. She had a natural inclination towards the subject. She had quickly established herself as the best in her class. She was pretty good at Charms. Flitwick was a kind and cheerful teacher, and the class was usually fun. Defense Against the Dark Arts was an interesting subject, but Lily didn't really like Professor Montgomery. She might like the class more if there was a different teacher. Herbology was alright, she didn't actively like or dislike it. Transfiguration was a good class, and Lily thought she was fairly good at it. Astronomy was alright, but she hated losing sleep over it.

Her least favorite class was History of Magic. She had actually fallen asleep during it! She had felt bad about it until Scorpius later told her that nobody paid attention in that class, and that as long as she did her homework and read the required text she would do good on the exams. So during that class, the Slytherins would sleep, do homework, or pass notes. They treated it like a free period.

On Friday night, the girls stayed up late talking and playing games. Alana braided Ava's long blonde hair, while Melanie experimented with make-up. All of this girly stuff was kind of freaking Lily out, but she gave in and allowed Rose to paint her nails Slytherin green. If this allowed her to bond with her roommates, then she would suffer through it.

"So, does anyone have any crushes?" Alana asked curiously. Lily managed to refrain from rolling her eyes. This was just such a typical girl thing. Still, it was refreshing to see that Slytherin girls weren't all that different from other girls. They didn't practice dark magic in their free time.

"I kind of like Trent Pucey," Melanie admitted. It was the first time Lily had seen her act shy.

"He's a second year, right?" Rose asked. It would be a while before they were familiar with the other people in Slytherin. It was probably easier for girls like Melanie, Alana and Ava who were from Slytherin families. Most of the Pureblood families would always meet up at different high society events, so their kids met before going to Hogwarts.

"Yeah, and he's Slytherin, of course," Melanie said with a happy sigh.

"Do Slytherins only date other Slytherins?" Lily asked curiously.

"Not always. It's common for us to date within our house, since a lot of people in the other houses don't like or trust us. But some people do date people from other houses," Alana answered.

"Why, are the Slytherins not good enough for you?" Ava challenged. Lily shot the girl an annoyed look.

"I never said that. It was just a question," Lily sighed. "Besides, I don't really want to date yet. I'm only 11." She saw Rose nodded in agreement at her statement.

"Come on Ava, don't try to pick a fight right now," Alana scolded her friend, flicking her head. Ava stuck her tongue out at her, but she didn't argue.

After a while the girls all started to get tired. Lily wasn't used to staying up late, since at home her mom would force her to go to bed at a "reasonable time". It was fun staying up late, but it was definitely tiring. Still, it was worth it, since she got to socialize with the other girls.

"I think I'm gonna go to bed," Melanie decided. The other girls all agreed and started getting ready for bed.

"If anyone tries to wake me up before 9 tomorrow, they will die a painful death," Rose promised with a sweet smile.

"Someone's not a morning person," Lily teased her friend. Rose gave her an amused smile.

"Yep. Plus tomorrow is Saturday so why would I voluntarily get up early?" Rose pointed out. Lily shrugged. She didn't like getting up early, but sometimes it was necessary.

Everyone said goodnight to each other, and soon Lily was out like a light. She no longer had trouble sleeping. She figured it meant she was settling in.

The next morning she slept in a little bit, but was still up before 9. She wanted to go to the Owlery before she went to breakfast, since she hadn't yet had a chance to deliver the letter she had written to get parents. She left her dormitory and walked into the common room.

"You're up early," a figure lounging on one of the couches commented.

"So are you, Scorpius," Lily responded as she continued walking through the room.

"Isn't it a bit early to be going to breakfast?" Scorpius asked.

"It would be. But I'm not going to breakfast," Lily answered.

"Where are you going, then?" Scorpius questioned as he sat up. Lily paused at the entrance to the room and turned towards him.

"The Owlery," she answered.

"Do you even know where it is?" he asked.

"...No, but I'll find it," Lily insisted after a brief pause. Scorpius raised his eyebrows at her statement.

"I'm sure you would eventually, but to spare you hours of wandering around, I'll take you there," he decided.

Lily frowned at him, feeling conflicted. She would like having a guide, but at the same time she didn't really want to owe him any favors. Besides, he was smug enough already. She didn't want to add to his feelings of superiority. Still, he was her House mate, and Slytherins were supposed to help each other out. So she decided to accept his help.

"Alright, if you want to, then go ahead," Lily agreed.

"It would be my honor," he teased. She stuck her tongue out at him, but followed him out of the common room without comment.

"So, how was your first week at Hogwarts?" Scorpius inquired. Lily was a bit surprised that he was making casual conversation with her. She had half expected him to lead her there quickly, but instead he was walking at a casual pace. He didn't seem to be bothered by talking with a first year.

"It's been kind of crazy. It's weird not interacting with my family, and being in Slytherin wasn't what I expected. Still, I love being a Slytherin, and I like most of my classes," Lily answered.

"Hogwarts will feel like home in no time," Scorpius promised her. "And don't worry about your family. I gave up on trying to be exactly what my parents and grandparents wanted. Just be yourself, and have fun."

Well, Lily couldn't argue with that advice. Still, she was starting to miss her family. It was weird not having their support.

"Why do you hate my brothers?" Lily couldn't help but ask. "And why do they hate you? I never knew how it all happened."

Scorpius sighed and ran a hand through his messy blonde hair. "How much do you know about the history involving our families?"

"I know that my parents and my Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione were rivals with your father."

"That's an understatement, Lily. They hated each other. They were enemies. After the war, my father and yours became more neutral towards each other, but that didn't erase all the bad blood between them. Plus, my family... My grandfather was a Death Eater, and my father was forced to take the Dark Mark. He believed in all that blood purity stuff, but he wasn't prepared for how insane Voldemort was."

Lily was listening intently. Her parents never talked about the war when she was around. It was interesting hearing what Scorpius had to say.

"Your brothers were immediately biased against Slytherin. The older students always turn the younger ones against us. Everyone hates us because of what our family did, even though we weren't even alive back then. That, plus the fact that your parents and my father were enemies, was enough to make your brothers dislike me. They never gave me a chance, so I didn't give them one."

Lily was crushed to hear that her brothers hadn't even given Scorpius a chance. So far, he had been nothing but nice and helpful to her. Yet they hated him just because of who his family was. She couldn't believe her brothers could think like that. It made her feel sick.

"I'm sorry, Lily. I'm not trying to turn you against your brothers. I hate them, but I don't expect you to. Still, you wanted to know the truth, and this is it," Scorpius said seriously.

Lily couldn't help but feel troubled. A part of her wanted to think he was lying. It was her instinct to trust her family. Still... she had seen the hatred that Al had for Scorpius, and she wouldn't be surprised to see James act the same. Plus, she really didn't think that Scorpius was lying. He seemed serious and a bit sad. She couldn't see anything deceitful in his face and eyes. Whether she liked it or not, he was being completely honest. She was even a little shocked that he had opened up to her. After all, she was the sister of his enemies.

"I never thought my brothers could be like that. I thought our parents raised us not to be prejudiced," Lily said. She knew her voice was revealing how upset she was, and her eyes were filled with sadness and disappointment.

Scorpius gave her a sympathetic look. "It's only natural to want to think the best of the people you love. You're still young, so I guess you're still pretty innocent. But you'll learn quickly in Slytherin. People aren't always who you think they are, and the world isn't always a happy place. People really fucking suck."

Lily felt a flash of annoyance at Scorpius calling her young and innocent. But he most likely was right. It didn't mean that she had to like it, though. "That's a kind of dark point of view, isn't it?" Lily commented.

"Maybe it is," Scorpius agreed. "But it's still realistic. You'll see soon enough that I'm right."

He was awfully confident in himself. Lily wasn't sure whether she found that amusing or annoying. Before she could make a teasing comment, he spoke again.

"Hey, we're here," Scorpius said. Sure enough, they had reached the Owlery.

"Oh," Lily said in surprise. Then she smiled. "Thanks!"

"You're welcome. I'm always glad to help a damsel in distress," Scorpius responded with a wink. Lily couldn't help but laugh at that.

"I don't think I count as a damsel in distress," Lily pointed out as they walked into the Owlery. She located her owl and called out to him. Nyroc flew down from where he was perched and landed on her outstretched arm. "Hey, can you take this letter to my parents?" She tied the letter to his leg, and watched him fly out of the window.

"Nice owl," Scorpius complimented.

"Thanks," Lily responded. "So, now what?"

Scorpius contemplated her question for a moment. She figured he was trying to decide if he wanted to keep spending time with a first year, or if he should go find his friends. She wouldn't blame him if he chose the latter option. She was amazed he had wasted this much time on her.

"Now, I escort you to breakfast," he decided. Lily hoped she was able to keep her surprise from showing.

"Sounds good to me," Lily agreed.

There were not that many people in the Great Hall, since it was still fairly early in the morning, and most students chose to sleep in. Ravenclaw had the most students awake, since they tended to be early risers. Lily could see Ava's twin sister, Callie, sitting by herself at the Ravenclaw table.

At the Slytherin table, there were mostly older students up. She saw the two 5th year prefects, Vince Goyle and Maribel Hart, were both up, and they were sitting with students who Lily assumed were also 5th years.

"Hey, Scor!" someone called. Scorpius grinned and walked over to where a boy was sitting with two girls. Lily trailed uncertainly behind him.

"Hey, Zack. This is Lily. Lily, this is my cousin, Zackiah Greengrass," Scorpius introduced. "He's Ava's older brother."

Zackiah looked different from his two younger sisters. They were both petite, with fair skin and long golden hair. Zack, on the other hand, was tall, slightly tan, muscular, and had short black hair. He had an easygoing smile, which was markedly different from Ava's usual disdainful expression, and Callie's blank expression.

"Hey, Lily. You caused quite the commotion when you got Sorted into our illustrious house," Zack commented.

"Hey, aren't you going to introduce us?" one of the girls demanded.

"I was getting to that," Scorpius said with a scowl. "The rude girl who just spoke is Zack and I's other cousin, Isobel Nott. Her mother is our Aunt Daphne. Now, to make things more confusing, this other young lady is Izzy's cousin, Selena Nott. Their fathers are brothers."

Isobel looked more like the Greengrass sisters than their own brother did. She had the same golden hair and fair skin, although she seemed to be slightly tall. Selena had dark brown hair.

"Wow," Lily said. "It's nice to meet all of you."

"See, Scor, at least she has manners," Isobel said. "So, you're Slytherin's new celebrity, aren't you? A Potter in the house of serpents. Nobody saw that coming."

Lily held back a sigh of irritation. She really was getting tired of people focusing on the fact that she was a Potter.

"I guess not," Lily responded. "But I'm where I belong."

"We'll see about that," Selena commented. "You seem alright, but you know some people will have a hard time trusting you. After all, your brothers hate us."

"That's not fair, though. You hate how they judged you guys because of your family, so it wouldn't be right for you guys to do that to me," Lily argued.

Selena seemed thoughtful. "Well, you do have a point. Maybe I'll point that out if I hear anyone say anything about you."

Lily was glad that she had seemed to earn the approval of some of the fourth years. She supposed it was good to try and make friends with older students. Plus, it was amusing to see the disgusted look on Ava's face when she showed up and saw Lily sitting with Scorpius. Lily had a feeling Ava would hold back on her rude comments when Scorpius was around. Ava shot Lily a dirty look, and then went to sit with Callie at the Ravenclaw table.

"What's her problem?" Rose wondered as she sat down next to Lily.

"She's a brat," Scorpius said with a laugh. "Don't worry about her, she'll come around. She's just not fond of change, and I guess that includes being around people she didn't grow up with. Plus, it's probably hard for her being separated from Callie. They've always been super close."

Lily remembered the stories she heard about her Uncle George and his deceased twin, Fred. She knew that George had never gotten over Fred's death. Obviously, losing a sibling was way worse than just being sorted into a different house, but Lily did feel some sympathy for Ava and Callie. It must be weird for them to be apart.

After breakfast, Lily's dorm mates dragged her back to the dorm. When she questioned why, she wasn't sure how to feel about their answer.

"Lily, it's come to our attention that you're kind of a bad liar," Alana said, sounding somewhat apologetic.

"What? No I'm not," Lily argued.

"You so are. Remember Herbology?" Ava said.

Lily did in fact remember how the other day she had a feeble excuse for being late, and it was only Professor Longbottom's lenience that kept her from losing points.

"That was one time," Lily complained. But the girls didn't like they were willing to let it go.

"We're going to teach you how to be a good liar," Melanie explained. "It's an essential skill for Slytherins. Pretty soon you'll be able to fool anyone."

Lily could see that they were all determined to do this, so she gave in. "Alright, fine. Teach me how to lie."

Monday morning came with a couple of different letters for Lily. One was from her parents, and one was from Teddy. She knew she wouldn't have time to read them, so she put them in her bag to read later. Looking around at the table, she saw that a lot of students had letters from family members.

"So, do you think your parents will be upset about you being in Slytherin?" Rose, who was sitting next to Lily, asked. Lily looked at the dark-haired girl and shrugged.

"They'll be surprised, but I think they'll accept it. They told me and my brothers that they would love and support us no matter what house we end up in, and so I'm sure they'll stand by what they said," Lily answered after a moment. "I just hope my brothers will remember what our parents taught us. I can't believe they've gotten so swept up in the house rivalry."

"Are you ever going to talk to them? You've been avoiding them, but you can't do that forever," Rose pointed out.

"Yeah, I know. I just… haven't felt like dealing with them," Lily sighed. "And I'm still trying to come to terms with what people have been telling me about them. What I've heard doesn't match what I thought my brothers are like."

"I'm sorry," Rose genuinely did seem like she felt bad. "I can't imagine what that's like. But still, you won't really know how they feel until you talk to them. I can tell that you're more upset than you've let on. You miss them."

Lily was a bit surprised that Rose had been so perceptive. "You're right. I do miss them. They're my big brothers. Even though they're a pain sometimes, they've always looked out for me."

Rose smiled. "Well, that's what older siblings are supposed to do."

"Do you have any siblings? I know you don't have any here at Hogwarts, but what about younger brothers or sisters?" Lily asked.

"Yeah, I do. I have a younger sister named Amy," Rose answered, sounding fond. "She's a total brat sometimes, but I love her. We argue a lot, but it's hard to ever stay seriously mad at her. Especially since she seems to look up to me a lot."

Lily wondered what it was like to have a sister. She loved her brothers, but… sometimes she wished that she had a sister. It would be nice to have someone to talk to about girl stuff.

"How old is Amy?" Lily questioned.

"She's 8. She won't come to Hogwarts until our fourth year," Rose answered. "I'll miss her, but it'll probably be nice to not have to deal with her for a few years."

Later that day, Lily finally had a chance to read her letters. She opened the one from her parents first.

_Dear Lily,_

_We're glad to hear from you. We already miss you so much. The house is so quiet without you and your brothers. Teddy has been stopping by more, but it's not the same. It will definitely take a while to get used to all three of you being gone._

_We are surprised that you've been sorted into Slytherin, but we're not any less proud of you. We will always love you, no matter what. Just do your best in school, and try not to get into trouble._

_You need to talk to your brothers. They are both worried about you. James said that you refused to talk to him, and that obviously has him worried. There's no reason for you to be avoiding them. _

_We can't wait to hear from you again. Please don't end up like your brothers. They are good about writing to us for the first couple weeks, but then they only send a letter a month after that. _

_Remember, try your best in school! Stay out of trouble!_

_Love,_

_Dad and Mum_

Lily made a face at the paragraph about her brothers. She was sure that James had left out how he tried to forcibly drag her away from her friends. She didn't like how pushy her parents were being about the situation with her and her brothers. They were just assuming that everything was her fault, even though James was the one who had complained the second she got sorted. Still, she supposed she should talk to James and Al, at least to get her parents off her back.

She remembered she had another letter to read.

_Dear Lily,_

_It's your favorite brother, Teddy. I heard you got sorted into Slytherin. Why am I not surprised? Of course you would do the unexpected thing. That's you, always being full of surprises. I bet you'll do great in that house. You've always been a clever kid, and I'm sure Slytherin will let you shine. _

_Your parents miss you a lot. Now they're all lonely and mopey because all three of their kids are at Hogwarts. I've been trying to visit them more so they don't get too sad. Plus, I love their cooking. _

_How've you been doing? I want to hear all about your first week at school. I mean, your parents told me what you said in your letter, but I want to hear it from you. Plus, I bet you've only told them the stuff they wanna hear. I want to hear about your friends, your enemies, which classes you hate. Have you gotten into any trouble yet? It's only a matter of time. Don't worry, whatever you tell me, I won't tell your parents._

_Okay, I'll admit something to you. I have another reason for writing to you. I wanted to tell you that I'm thinking about proposing to Victoire. We've been together for a few years now, and even though we're still young, I know I love her. There's nobody else that I would ever want to be with. Tell me what you think. I know you'll be honest._

_You better write back soon! _

_Love,_

_Teddy_

Lily had a smile on her face by the time she was done reading the letter. She loved her god-brother so much. He was the best. She was kind of surprised that he was thinking about proposing to Victoire. Teddy had always seemed like he wouldn't be the type to want to settle down when he was still young. She remembered the numerous girlfriends he had during his time at Hogwarts. Still…. he really did love Victoire. He was head over heels for her. So maybe it wasn't so surprising that he would want to marry her.

She wrote a response to his letter right away. She told him all about her first week at school, including the stuff she had left out in her letter to her parents. Then she told him that she supported whatever decision he wanted to make. She genuinely thought that he and Victoire were a great couple, and she was sure they would be really happy together if they did get married.

Lily decided to wait a couple of days to respond to her parents. She figured she should talk to her brothers first, so then she could let her parents know that she'd done as they asked. She wasn't looking forward to talking to them, but she knew she would have to do it.

She was busy the next couple of days that week, but on Thursday, she finally had a chance to talk to them. Lily gathered her strength, and approached the Gryffindor table when it seemed like they were done eating. She could see the curious stares of people at that table, and the more intense stares of her family members.

"Lily!" James said when he noticed her.

"Hey, James," Lily responded, trying to keep her voice neutral. "I was wondering if I could talk to you and Al."

"So now you want to talk?" James muttered. He must still be annoyed that she hadn't talked to him last week. Lily sighed. Of course he was going to be difficult.

Before Lily could say anything, Al spoke. "We'll talk with you. C'mon, James."

James scowled at Al, but didn't argue. Lily gave Al a slightly unsure smile, and he smiled back at her. Well, at least one of them didn't seem to be upset with three of them left the Great Hall, and found somewhere private to talk. Lily hated the fact that she was feeling nervous about talking to her brothers. This whole thing felt ridiculous.

The three of them looked awkwardly at each other, not knowing what to say. Lily and James were both too stubborn to want to start the conversation.

"So… Lily, I just want to say that I don't care what house you're in. I guess I was kind of upset at first, since the Slytherins are total jerks, but you're my sister. Nothing's gonna change that," Al told her. Lily smiled gratefully at her brother.

"Thanks, Al. I really love being a Slytherin. I know you don't like them, but most of them have been really nice to me," Lily told him.

"I wouldn't trust them," James told her. "They're all sneaky and ambitious."

Lily rolled her eyes. "James, did you forget everything our parents taught us? Dad always told us not to judge people based on their families or their house. He told us we shouldn't blindly hate groups of people."

"Lily, you're just a kid. I've been at Hogwarts for 5 years now. I think I know more than you do about who to trust," James insisted. "Look, I still love you and all that. But I don't like the rest of Slytherin."

"That's not fair! _I _trust them, so why isn't that good enough for you?" Lily argued.

"Are you trying to guilt trip me? Look, I can't forget 5 years of hate and fighting just because you want me to," James snapped.

"Guys, please don't argue," Al begged. "Lily… I hate Malfoy and his friends, but I'm willing to be nice to the kids in your year, as long as they're nice to me."

Lily knew that was the best she was going to get for now. At least Al was being nicer than James was. "Alright, I guess that's better than nothing. Thanks, Al."

"No problem. Anyway, we should go. I have homework to do," Al told her. "See you later, Lily."

"Bye, Al, Bye, James," Lily responded. She gave Al a quick hug, and then hurried off to her common room. She was so glad that she had gotten that talk over with. It hadn't gone perfectly, but Al seemed to be willing to rethink his stance on Slytherins. James was being more stubborn, but he wasn't mad at her for being a Slytherin. Lily could only hope that things would improve.

"Lily! How'd the talk with your brothers go?" Rose asked Lily as soon as she entered the common room.

"It went alright. James is kind of being a butt, but Al's actually willing to at least give you and the others in our year a chance," Lily told her.

"Well, it's good that you're on good terms with them," Rose said. "And as for Al, I'm willing to meet him, if you want me to. Maybe if he sees that at least one other Slytherin besides you isn't "evil" then he'll stop worrying about you."

"That's not a bad idea. I'll introduce you to him this weekend," Lily decided.

"Alright. Now that you've gotten that over with, come help me with the Potions homework," Rose said.

"Why me?" Lily complained in a teasing voice.

"Because you're the Potions prodigy in our class," Rose laughed.

"Oh, yeah. Alright, that's a good enough reason," Lily agreed. "But you'd better help me with the Transfiguration homework."

"It's a deal," Rose said with a smile. The two girls went to a table and started working. Even though the homework was boring, Lily felt a lot better than she had earlier today. It was nice to have a friend to make things better.

**Author's Note: Well, I finally updated. Yay. Sorry, I've been really busy with school and stuff. Being a senior in high school is stressful! But I'm determined to keep working on this story. This chapter was beta read by my friends Cat and Sage. **

**For those of you reading Harry Winchester… I'm not sure when I'll update it. I just don't have any inspiration right now, sorry. I'll try and continue it someday, but it likely won't happen in the next few months. **

**Anyway, let me know what you thought of this chapter! **


	5. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: I finished this a couple of weeks ago and I kept waiting for one of my friends to read over and edit it. I finally gave up on that. So this is unedited, sorry. I hope it's still good! **

**Chapter 4**

For once, Lily was actually eager for lunch to be over with. Normally she enjoyed her lunch time, since it was a break from classes, and gave her a chance to just relax and talk with friends. But today, she was actually eager for her next class. After all, today was going to be the first day of Flying Lessons. Even though she already knew how to fly, she was eager for a chance to get back on a broom. Flying was one of the only times she felt completely at peace with herself. There was no better feeling than soaring through the air, and pushing the limits of a broom. Flying was in her blood, after all.

"So, are you guys excited for flying lessons?" Alana asked the other girls.

"Yeah! I love flying," Lily answered with a smile. "What about you?" She couldn't imagine anyone not liking flying, although she knew a lot of people didn't.

The brunette just shrugged. "Honestly, I haven't had much practice."

"Same here, but I'm excited to learn," Rose added in.

"I was never allowed to fly. My dad thought flying should only be for boys," Melanie said, sounding disgusted.

"Well, you'll have to prove him wrong," Lily assured the other girl. "My mum played Quidditch professionally, and she was great at it."

Lily had always thought it was cool that her mum had been a professional Quidditch player. Lily's favorite team was the Holyhead Harpies because of her mother. She actually really admired her mum. Everyone always focused on her dad, since he was the hero who defeated Voldemort. Still, her mum was pretty amazing too. Lily had always secretly dreamed of being like her mum. She wondered if she would ever be as pretty as her mum had been as a teenager.

"What about you, Ava?" Alana asked the golden haired girl. Lily focused herself back on the conversation.

"Flying is so easy. These lessons are going to be such a waste of time," Ava answered. "But I guess it'll be nice to be on a broom instead of sitting in some classroom."

"I bet you're just scared you're gonna fall off your broom," Gilbert cut in. The girls all sighed, knowing that an argument would be inevitable. Those two were just so ridiculous.

"Are you kidding? I could fly circles around you, Zabini," Ava scoffed.

"Yeah right. Who's brother is the team seeker? That's right, mine," Gilbert bragged.

"My brother is on the team too, so quit bragging. Besides, your brother got passed up for team captain, remember? Alana's brother got it instead," Ava said with a smirk.

"Fine, if you're so confident, then we'll have a race to see who's better," Gilbert declared.

"Sounds good to me. I'd love a chance to prove how truly inferior you are," Ava agreed. Her blue-green eyes were merciless.

"Hey, guys? I hate to ruin your little contest, but won't you get in trouble?" Alana pointed out. "There's no way that Hooch will let you guys do whatever you want."

Ava frowned for a moment, but then her eyes lit up. "If Hooch is busy taking someone to the hospital wing, then she won't be around to stop us."

Lily was starting to have a bad feeling about this. She really wasn't liking where this was going. She glanced at Rose and saw the other girl also looked uncomfortable.

"Is it... Really a good idea to injure someone just so you can have a race?" Lily spoke up.

"Scared, Potter? A true Slytherin will do anything to get what they want," Ava sneered. "I should've known you'd be a goody two-shoes though. After all, you wouldn't want to bring any shame to your perfect little family, would you?"

"Haven't I already told you not to call me Potter?" Lily was starting to get annoyed. "Besides, you don't know anything about me or my family! I just think this whole race thing is stupid."

"Just because you'd be too scared to race and show how much you suck at flying doesn't mean others are. At least Zabini is willing to prove himself," Ava retorted. "You want to show me that you're a Slytherin? Then race with us."

Lily knew Ava was just trying to bait her. She knew that rising to the bait would be a terrible, awful idea. But despite what she knew, she still had a need to prove herself. She was tired of being doubted, and she wanted to show everyone she wasn't some pathetic little girl who was too scared to do anything. She wanted to prove she was just as good, no, that she was better than the others.

"You know what? Fine. I'll join your stupid race, and I'll win," Lily said simply. She didn't say it in a bragging way or anything. She just knew what her abilities were on a broom. She felt fairly certain that she could beat any of the other first years. She was able to give her brothers a real challenge, so she didn't see the others in her year as being a problem for her.

"We'll see about that," Ava responded.

Before she knew it, lunch was over and they were all headed out to the Quidditch pitch for their flying lessons. Lily had actually forgotten they would be having the lessons with Gryffindor, since her mind had been on the race she was going to have. She saw Hugo glare at her and the other Slytherins, and she hoped there wouldn't be any issues. She decided to just ignore the Gryffindors for now, and focused on quickly claiming a good broom.

All the school brooms had been replaced some years back with the Nimbus 2002, which had been thanks to a donation from her parents and some of her uncles, who had played Quidditch at Hogwarts. These brooms were now pretty outdated, but they were so much better than the awful brooms the school used to have. At least, that's what her parents had told her. She wouldn't really have any way of knowing.

Madame Hooch told them all to stand next to a broom. Lily was already doing that, so she watched as everyone else scrambled to get next to a broom. Some students looked excited, some looked terrified, and some just didn't really seem to care.

"Okay, what I want you all to do is hold out your arm and say 'up'," the flying instructor told all the students.

"Up," Lily said almost boredly, smiling in satisfaction as the broom instantly flew into her hand. She saw Ava and Gilbert had no problems either, and well as her cousin. It took Rose and Alana a couple of tries to get it, and Melanie didn't seem to be having any luck at all.

Madame Hooch walked around and gave everyone tips until everyone managed to get their brooms to go into their hands. Once they managed that, she instructed them to mount the brooms and go a few feet into the air. Lily easily took off into the air, wishing desperately that she could just start flying around already. As Madame Hooch helped out other students, Ava and Gilbert flew over to Lily.

"Potter, take out your cousin," Ava told her in a daring tone.

"What?" Lily gasped. She hadn't been expecting Ava to make her be the one to cause an accident, and especially not to have her hurt her cousin! "No way, I'm not doing anything to Hugo."

"Why not? He's been mean to you since you got sorted into Slytherin," Gilbert pointed out. "He deserves it, in my opinion. We have to show him that you can't get away with messing with Slytherins."

"Yeah, Lily, are you just going to let him get away with insulting our house? Or are you too scared to do anything about it?" Ava challenged.

Lily was feeling very conflicted. She knew it would be wrong to do anything to Hugo, but… she was still hurt and angry over how he had reacted. Besides, with two of her Housemates looking at her expectantly, she felt pressured to go through with it. She needed to prove herself, no matter what.

"Okay, I'll do it."

Once everyone was up in the air, they were allowed to fly around a bit and go higher. Lily purposefully flew near Hugo, and then made it seem as though she'd lost control of her broom, and bumped into him. Since he hadn't been expecting to be bumped into at any point, his grip on the broom was loose. Her bumping into him was enough for him to lose his grip and fall off the broom.

"Hugo!" Lily yelled as he fell, schooling her features into an expression of shock. She flew down and landed, as did all the other students. "Are you okay? I lost control of my broom, I think it's faulty." Her voice sounded concerned and helpless, and it wasn't a complete lie. She was concerned for him.

"I'm taking Mr. Weasley to the Hospital wing, so all of you stay off your brooms until I get back," Madame Hooch ordered them, helping Hugo from off the ground. Her cousin shot her a suspicious look as he was led away from the other students. Lily tried to ignore the sick feeling in her stomach.

"Potter, did you do that on purpose?" a Gryffindor boy demanded.

"No way, Lily would never do something like that!" Belle Longbottom defended.

"Who cares what happened? That whiny Gryffindork will be fine," Ava interjected. "Now it's time to race." The blonde girl hopped back onto her broom and rose into the air, with Gilbert quickly following. After a moment of hesitation, Lily did as well.

"What are you snakes doing? We're not allowed to be flying right now!" someone from Gryffindor yelled.

"Shut up, you scared little kitten. For a house that is supposed to be brave, you're all a bunch of wimps!" Gilbert shouted back down. Then he turned to the two girls. "So, what's our course?"

"We'll start from that goalpost, and fly around the whole field. Whoever gets back to the goalpost first wins," Ava decided.

"Sounds good to me," Lily agreed.

The three flew up to the goalpost, and counted to three at the same time. As soon as they all said three, they took off. Lily lowered her body against the broom, so there would be minimal resistance from the wind. She pushed it as fast as it could go, watching everything blur past her. She was aware of the other two being right beside her, but she slowly started gaining a lead. When she made the turn around the opposite goalposts, she just made minor adjustments to her course, instead of putting a lot of power and effort into the turn. It kept her from losing too much of her speed. She kept her sped up until the very last second, only stopping just in time to keep from hitting the goalpost. Several seconds later, Ava reached the goalpost, and then Gilbert after her.

"Well, Lily, good job," Gilbert complimented. "I really didn't know you could fly like that."

"Thanks," Lily said with a smile. "You guys both did good too."

"I won't lose next time," Ava swore. "Still… I guess you did somewhat prove yourself today."

Lily knew that Ava still didn't like her, but this was a start. If she was starting to earn the girl's respect, then hopefully she could get her friendship too. "We better get down before Madame Hooch gets back," Lily said. The three flew back down to the other students.

"You guys were great up there!" Rose exclaimed. "I wish I could fly like that."

"Yeah, that was really awesome. Especially you, Lily, I bet you're good enough to make the team next year," Abel Lewis, one of the Slytherin boys, told her.

Lily was grinning at all the attention she was receiving. She wasn't used to getting compliments like this. As the youngest child, and the youngest of the Weasley cousins, she was often disregarded, or just treated like a baby. But now people were looking at her with admiration and respect.

Of course, as usual, something had to come along and ruin her good mood.

"Who was flying?" Madame Hooch demanded as she walked over to them. "I could see three students flying around the pitch."

The Slytherins kept their mouths shut, but the Gryffindors were all too happy to tell her who had been flying. As a result, Lily, Ava and Gilbert were given detention. Ava had to be restrained from punching the Gryffindor boy who told on her.

"We'll get revenge later, don't worry," Alana told the blonde girl. That was enough to get her to calm down.

That night in the common room, the first year girls were approached by Scorpius and a couple of unfamiliar guys.

"Hey, I heard some of you guys got detention," Scorpius commented, sounding a bit amused.

"Blame it on the Gryffindors," Ava muttered, not even bothering to look up at her cousin.

"What are those pesky Gryffindors up to now?" one of the other guys asked with a laugh. Lily wondered who those two boys were, and she saw similar looks of confusion on Rose's face, as well as a few of the first year boys who were half-bloods, so they hadn't grown up among the pureblood crowd. That led Lily to believe these two boys were from pureblood families.

"Lily, I wanted to introduce you to a couple more people. These two were pretty curious to see the Potter that got sorted into our house," Scorpius explained. "This is Alexander Ackerman, and this is Zachary Tank. They're both fourth years."

Alexander, the boy who had spoken before, had dark brown hair and pale blue eyes. Zachary had long black hair, and also had blue eyes. They were both regarding her with curious looks.

"So, how'd you get detention?" Zachary asked her. She had a feeling that her answer would determine what he would think of her.

"Well, I knocked my cousin off his broom, and while Madame Hooch took him to the Hospital wing, I had a race around the Quidditch pitch with Ava and Gilbert," Lily explained.

"Who won?" Alexander questioned.

"I did," Lily answered, feeling pleased with herself. The boys both smirked at her.

"So, you're fighting with your family and breaking rules? It sounds like you're off to a good start," Zachary told her. "It's good that you're proving yourself, just don't try too hard. Keep doing what you're doing and you'll succeed in this house."

"And remember, if you ever want to party, come find us," Alexander added with a smirk.

"Oh no you don't. Trust me Lily, my brothers told me about these two. Their parties are a little too wild for us," Alana warned the red haired girl.

"Suit yourself, Alana," Zachary said with a shrug. "Your brothers are being hypocrites, because they always party just as hard as us."

"You know, guys, they're probably just trying to protect their little sister," Scorpius pointed out with a laugh. "Besides…. your parties probably aren't the best place for a bunch of 11 year olds."

"Shit, maybe you're right. We should probably make a rule that only 3rd years and up can go to the parties," Alexander said. "Sorry, kiddos, guess you'll have to wait a couple years."

"Or," Ava suggested with a sly grin. "You can allow first years to go as long as they're being supervised by someone."

"Who's going to want to supervise a bunch of first years though?" Rose pointed out. Ava glared at her for daring to question her idea.

"We'll just make Scorpius do it," Ava answered, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, because I totally have nothing better to do than babysit my cousin and her friends," Scorpius said sarcastically.

"Exactly," Ava responded with a smirk.

"Well, now that we've got that settled, we'll leave you kids to do whatever it is first years do these days," Zachary told them.

"Probably wasn't the shit we were doing back then," Alexander said, winking at Zachary. Lily had a feeling she really didn't want to know. She watched the two fourth years walk away, feeling unsure about the whole conversation that had just happened. Apparently Slytherin's reputations for parties hadn't been a false rumor.

"Well, now you've met some of Slytherin's more well known people," Scorpius commented to Lily. "They're pretty cool guys, but you probably should be a bit careful at their parties. They get into some crazy stuff, honestly."

"Now I see why my brothers are concerned about me being here," Lily answered with a grin. "Then again, James is probably just jealous that you guys have better parties than he does."

"I bet you're right about that," Scorpius agreed. "Everyone loves our parties."

"Are people from other houses ever invited?" Lily asked curiously.

"Yeah, of course. Usually not Gryffindor though, since most of them hate us. But we get along well with Ravenclaws, and Hufflepuffs are usually pretty decent too. So people bring their friends or dates from other houses to our parties," Scorpius explained.

"Speaking of dates, do you have a girlfriend yet?" Ava asked her cousin in a teasing tone. Scorpius rolled his grey eyes.

"And that's my signal to leave. See you kids later," he told them, walking over to his third year friends.

"Aw, does Scorpius get embarrassed by those kind of questions?" Alana asked, sounding amused.

"You have no idea," Ava said with a laugh. The girls all giggled, while the boys gave them weird looks, not understanding what was so amusing. "Aunt Astoria is always bugging him about if he's seeing anyone. Now that he's old enough for Hogsmeade trips, she'll definitely be expecting him to get a girlfriend."

"I remember when Matthew first got a girlfriend," Melanie said with a fond smile. Lily was pretty sure Matthew was her oldest brother. It was so hard keeping track of everyone. "My parents made such a big deal of it."

"James doesn't talk about his girlfriends that often," Lily said thoughtfully.

"That's probably because he has a new girlfriend every week," Lukas Goyle told her. "At least, that's what my brother told me."

"My brother and sister said the same thing," Gilbert agreed. "Your brother is a player, Lily. He probably just doesn't tell your parents because they'd disapprove."

Lily knew he was probably right. Her mum wouldn't want James just going around carelessly breaking hearts like that, and his dad had raised him to treat girls with respect. It kind of freaked Lily out to think about the kind of stuff her brother could be doing with girls, though, so she decided to drop that train of thought.

The next morning at breakfast, Lily and her two partners in crime were informed of where and when their detention was. They would be cleaning a classroom, which Lily saw as pointless since it was an unused room. But, according to the staff, it could be used at some point. She just thought they were too lazy to think of an actually meaningful detention.

The three Slytherins were all very annoyed as they walked together to their detention. None of them wanted to spend their Saturday cleaning. Still, Lily didn't really regret the race. It had been a lot of fun, and it had helped her in gaining the approval of her fellow Slytherins. Besides, it was just a detention. How bad could it be?

"I can't believe we can't even use magic to help us," Ava complained as they cleaned. Evidently she was unused to doing any sort of physical labor.

"Yeah, they're treating us worse than house elves," Gilbert agreed, looking annoyed.

"It's not that bad," Lily said with a laugh. Her parents had taught her and her brothers how to clean the muggle way, so she was aware of how to do this. At home, she had been given some basic chores to do. She didn't enjoy them, of course, but it wasn't a big deal to her. Before they could start arguing with her, she decided to distract them. "So, what's the plan for getting revenge?" she asked.

"Well, maybe we could mess with them during Potions class? We'll distract Slughorn somehow, and then toss something in their potions," Ava suggested.

"That's kind of predictable though, but I guess it'll work," Gilbert said with a sigh.

"I don't see you giving any ideas," Ava muttered. Gilbert just flipped her off in response. Lily decided this was going to be a long detention.

She had no idea just how bad it would get, though. She was shocked when she heard a familiar voice say her name.

"Lily?"

The red-haired girl looked at the doorway, and saw James and Al standing there.

"So it's true you have detention," James said, narrowing his blue eyes.

"Yeah, obviously," Lily responded, looking away and continuing with her task. She saw Ava and Gilbert give her brothers a look of distrust. She added, "Though you can blame your fellow house members for tattling on us."

"What, did you just expect them to cover for you?" James demanded, sounding disgusted.

"You're acting like you've never gotten detention. All we did was fly, it's not that big of a deal. I know for a fact you've gotten in trouble for worse," Lily said coolly.

"But, Lily… what you did to Hugo…" Al interjected, sounding unsure. Lily frowned, wondering what Hugo had told her brothers.

"Calm down, she accidentally bumped into him, it isn't her fault that he had a bad grip on his broom," Ava surprised Lily by coming to her defense.

"Shut up, snake, this has nothing to do with you," James snapped at the blonde girl.

"Since Lily's in our house, it has everything to do with us," Gilbert said, seeming unconcerned when James's glare shifted towards him.

"Look, we all know she ran into Hugo on purpose. How could you do that to your own cousin?" James demanded.

"Well, how could Hugo treat me badly just for being put into Slytherin?" Lily shouted, finally giving James her full attention. "He's supposed to be my best friend, but he turned on me for being in a different house than him! He acted like I did it just to spite him or something."

"I can't blame him! It's only been a few weeks and you're already starting to act like one of them," James accused. Lily's hands were clenched into fists, and she couldn't remember the last time she had felt this angry.

"In case you haven't noticed, I _am_ one of them. I'm a Slytherin, and I'm proud of it! I won't let you, or Hugo, or anyone else ruin this for me," Lily told him, glaring at him with angry brown eyes. "Now leave me alone!"

James looked like he was going to argue further, but Al stopped him. "Let's just go," Al told James, looking sadly at Lily. Lily looked away from him and James, and didn't look up until the sound of their footsteps had faded.

"Lily, are you alright?" Gilbert asked her. She looked up at him, and nodded. Now that her brothers were gone, her anger had faded, and now she just felt tired.

"Don't worry about your idiot brother. You're where you belong," Ava said seriously. Lily looked at the other girl, and she could tell that even though they still weren't friends yet, Ava had accepted her as a part of Slytherin. Lily gave her a faint smile, and the three continued on with their work.

The next day gave them something to look forward to. Sunday was the day of Quidditch tryouts for the Slytherin team. The first years couldn't join, of course, but they could still go and watch so they knew what to expect. Lily was definitely going to tryout next year. Ava and Gilbert both also wanted to tryout. Alana and Melanie didn't have much interest in playing on the school team. Rose was kind of curious about it, but she said that she didn't have enough flying experience to be ready to tryout. Lukas Goyle, or Luke as he apparently preferred to be called, said he might want to join the team in a few years. Riley, Abel and Kyle all said they didn't want to be on the team.

Although Lily tried to convince all the first years to go watch the try-outs, only some of them ended up going. Ava and Gilbert went, of course, and she managed to convince Rose. Luke agreed to go just because he really enjoyed watching Quidditch. The rest of the first years opted out of going. Lily was a bit disappointed, but she supposed not everyone grew up with Quidditch being a huge part of their life like she had.

"So, is everyone who was on the team last year trying out this year?" Lily asked curiously as the first years sat down in the stands.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure. They'll probably all get their positions back, unless there's someone really good to steal them away," Luke answered.

"But if there are really good challengers, they'll at least make the reserve team," Gilbert added on.

"There's a reserve team?" Rose questioned.

"Not all teams choose to have them, but Slytherin's pretty dedicated. All professional teams have a reserve team of players," Gilbert explained. "I'm sure I'll make the reserve team next year."

"Keep telling yourself that," Ava said with a snort.

"Hey, look, they're starting!" Lily quickly pointed out, not wanting the two of them to get into an argument. Luke and Rose both looked relieved.

The current Chasers, Vince Goyle, Misha Flint, and Scorpius Malfoy, were obviously superior to any of the other students trying out for that position. They had good teamwork from a year of working together, and they managed to score more goals than anyone else trying out. Scorpius's close friend, Byron Nott, managed to score one of the reserve Chaser positions, with the other two going to Scorpius's cousin Isobel, and Misha's second year brother, Mitchell.

The Keeper position wasn't up for grabs, since the team's captain, Alaric Avery, played Keeper. The reserve position went to Cassieopeia Montague, a 7th year. she'd had the reserve position for the last couple years, apparently.

Bradford Nott and Zackiah Greengrass kept their positions as Beaters. Lily was a bit surprised at who got the reserve positions. She hadn't been expecting Zachary Tank and Alexander Ackerman to tryout. They were actually really good, just not enough to take the positions from the current players.

For the Seeker tryouts, the first person to catch the snitch got the position. Lily wasn't surprised to see that Blaine Zabini, who she'd been told had been playing Seeker for a few years now, got it first. It was then released again, and the next person to get it got to be the reserve player. Lily found herself feeling frustrated with all the people trying out for the reserve position. She was able to spot the snitch pretty quickly, so she wasn't sure why it took them forever to see it. Eventually, Maya Montague, a second year, managed to catch it. Lily just prayed that Blaine didn't get injured at all during the season.

"I can't believe how long it took her to see the snitch," Lily complained to her friends.

"I'm guessing you're going for Seeker next year?" Rose asked, her amusement evident in the tone of her voice.

"Yep! My dad was great at it, and my mum was pretty good at it too," Lily said.

"I want to be a Chaser," Ava declared.

"So do I," Gilbert said, seeming disgusted at the possibility that they'd have to be team-mates someday.

"I think I'd like to be Keeper," Luke commented thoughtfully. "The position will be open next year, too. I'd have to wait a few years for Chaser, and I don't want to play Beater."

"What about you, Rose? I know you don't want to try out next year, but what about in a few years from now?" Lily asked the raven-haired girl.

"Well, I think maybe playing Chaser would be fun," Rose commented.

"Both of you can fuck off, you're not going to be my team-mates," Ava said.

"It's not like you own being a Chaser. I can tryout if I want to," Rose responded, her blue eyes flashing in annoyance.

"You barely know how to fly, there's no way you'll ever be good enough for Chaser," Ava shot back, sounding smug.

"I can learn. I'll practice over the summer!" Rose declared.

"Ava's always gonna be arguing with someone, isn't she?" Luke whispered to Lily, who smiled in amusement.

"Yeah, I think so," Lily whispered back. She had a feeling she was going to get used to this sooner than she had originally expected.

As the group walked back to the castle, Lily's head was filled with images of her playing Quidditch next year. She was determined to be the Seeker next year. She would spend all summer practicing if she had to. She knew she could do it. No matter what, Lily Luna Potter was going to be the Seeker of Slytherin next year.


End file.
